Baby Blues
by Blu Rose
Summary: The question "Do you think you could be a parent?" Hilda's odd actions as of late cause gears to turn in Ash's head that make him draw his own worrying conclusion. (OthelloShipping! Ash x Hilda! Oneshot!)
**So, this may be the final chapter in the OthelloShipping series! Maybe. I dunno. I wrote this up for Valentine's Day and forgot about it, and I figured it would be a waste. Happy Extremely Belated Valentine's Day!
**

 _Disclaimer: Blu Rose doesn't own the Pokémon series. Only this fic._

 _Summary: The question "Do you think you could be a parent?" Hilda's odd actions as of late cause gears to turn in Ash's head that make him draw his own worrying conclusion._

 _Important Note!: I feel like I have to state this these days:_ _ **Ash and Hilda are adults in this.**_

 **X-X-X**

The Pokémon World Tournament in Unova was a relatively new experience for Ash. Sure, he'd been sent invitations before, but there had always been new regions to explore, new leagues to challenge, and new Pokémon to find. He'd simply been too busy to pay mind to them before remembering them and realizing that he had long since passed the registration date. But he had learned any experience was good experience for a trainer, and perhaps going back to Unova would be an enlightening trip.

Knowing that Hilda, a native of Unova, would be participating was a bonus. "You can stay with me until the tournament begins." She lived in Nuvema Town, although no longer under the same roof as her mother. That was a good thing, because their status as "friends with benefits" practically suggested that _certain things_ were bound to happen. But those _things_ didn't happen. They spent their days in Nuvema training together and their nights in each other's arms in bed, the extent of their bedtime interactions. On one such particular night, Hilda had asked out of the blue, "Do you think you could be a parent?"

The question had made Ash, who was already on the verge of sleep, suddenly find the energy to be wide awake and aware. "What? What brought on _that_ question? Is _your_ mom telling you stuff like, _'I'd like to have grandchildren at some point'_ , too?" He chuckled as he asked.

He felt Hilda shrug in his arms. "Just a thought. Do you think you could settle down and raise a kid?"

"…I dunno." Some people compared raising kids to raising Pokémon, but Ash felt like it wasn't quite the same. It seemed…more overwhelming of a task. It was probably something someone could only understand once they had a child themselves. "What about you?"

"…If I had to. I don't think I would mind being a mother much as I'd mind childbirth." And that was the last thing they said about _that_ topic that evening.

But still, Hilda's question had stirred the curiosity in Ash. He wondered if maybe she knew someone who was having a baby, or had had one, or was thinking about it. Then he thought about her response to his question. She'd settle down and raise a child if she had to. Not because she wanted to, but _had to_ , as if it were an obligation. A thought entered Ash's mind that made his hand stroke Hilda's stomach. He took in how it wasn't as flat as it had been when they met months ago. He didn't comment on it at first because he knew how women got when you commented on things like their weight, but now...

Now he spent the evening holding a hand to her stomach, like that was going to tell him if there was a baby kicking around in there. And just as he fell asleep, he swore he could feel something like a heartbeat. Or maybe that was just his imagination.

 **X-X-X**

The following morning, Hilda absolutely refused to get out of bed. "I'm not feeling up to it today. And besides, it's raining," she had said before wrapping herself up in the sheets like a cocoon. She probably looked like a Swadloon, especially with the way she saw herself pouting in the mirror that faced the bed.

"Not even for breakfast? I'll make it if you want." Ash had asked. His cooking skills weren't bad, but he left such a mess in the kitchen the last time she let him cook. Still, she did enjoy that dinner last night. Too bad her stomach wouldn't let her enjoy breakfast the same way.

"Maybe later." Maybe when her body's tenant decided to have pity on her and grant her some peace. For now, all she wanted was to lie in bed and listen to the rain. But the moment Ash left, graciously closing the door behind him, Hilda couldn't help but think that she made a mistake last night asking him about parenthood.

When she first found out she was pregnant, to say she was worried would be an understatement. Here she was, an unmarried young woman still in what she liked to consider the prime of her life. She didn't exactly have thoughts of single motherhood in mind, but if her mother could go through it and still be happy, so could Hilda. Giving up her child in one form or another wasn't an option that Hilda liked. She didn't even know if it was a boy or girl yet and she had already grown attached to it.

Of course, the child was Ash's, too. He had a right to know that she was pregnant, but Hilda was a bit worried that he'd feel it necessary to marry her. She certainly didn't want to _trap_ him into marriage with their baby as bait. Then there was the little worry that he may not have been cut out to be a father. She knew he hadn't seen his father since he was very young, and Hilda honestly wondered if his so-called Pokémon journey wasn't just a lie his mother made up to comfort a young Ash because apparently he _still_ hadn't seen him and he was 25 years old now. He had a right to know, but did he have a right to play an active part in their child's development?

She wondered if maybe, from the way he touched her stomach the night before, he knew her secret and knew that he had a part in making it. Hilda's hands found their way to her stomach. Her baby bulge had gotten a bit more noticeable, but could be hidden away with baggy clothing. Hilda lost herself in touching her stomach and trying to feel the baby for minutes before snapping out of it.

"I have to tell him… I just wish there were an easier way…!" She couldn't help but whine as she curled up into a little ball. "After the PWT. If I told him before it started, he might get distracted. Yeah… I'll tell him after the tournament."

 **X-X-X**

It felt as if by the time the PWT was over, it had finished too soon. The diehard trainers who participated were sad to see it end. Ash had been less concerned with signing up for another tournament next year and more worried about Hilda. She'd been sick several times over the course of the tournament and complaining about aches. It hadn't really impeded on her ability in Pokémon battles, but it made Ash worry for her enough to stay in Unova for longer than he intended.

"Y'know, if there's anything wrong, you can always tell me. I won't judge," Ash had told her the evening they returned to Nuvema Town. They were lying down in bed, facing each other as they embraced. "So please be honest with me… Are you pregnant?"

"…Yes." What Hilda wouldn't give for the days of young, oblivious Ash who probably wouldn't be able to tell a pregnant woman from a fat one. She avoided eye contact by staring at the wall behind him, but he moved in a way that obscured it from her vision. "I was going to tell you when you left."

Ash made no verbal comment about that or asked _when_ exactly she meant to tell him. The disapproving frown on his face said enough for him. "How long have you known?"

"A couple of months."

"…Do you not think I could be a good dad?"

Hilda abruptly sat up. "What makes you think I think that?!"

Ash sat up as well and stared sternly into her eyes. "You asked me if I ever thought I could be a parent, remember? Why ask me that if you didn't have doubts?" Hilda said nothing and Ash continued, "Were you even going to tell me? Would you have just gone and raised _our_ child by yourself?!"

"I was _going_ to tell you! I just…I didn't want to make you feel forced into parenthood!"

"But it's _my_ kid, too! I deserve a right to know! And…and you wouldn't have to worry about me being forced into it. I'd be more than happy to help raise it."

Hilda bit her lower lip. "But…I'm not even sure if we're compatible enough to be…you know, husband and wife."

"…I'll stay with you then," Ash spoke softly. "I'll stay with you and help you with the baby. I mean, if we live together, we'll learn if we're compatible, right?"

"And if we're not?"

"If that happens, we'll think of something." A part of him didn't want to think they weren't compatible and he hoped she felt the same. Ash cupped Hilda's face. "But no matter what, I won't abandon this child and ignore the fact that it exists. You believe me, right?"

She gave a short laugh and held her hands against her swollen stomach. "I believe you."

They exchanged smiles and they laid back down. Ash draped an arm over the side of Hilda's torso while his free hand rested on her stomach. Their smiles only got bigger when they felt the baby kick.


End file.
